Server controlled network overlay for wireless devices

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus in which multiple Internet Protocol (IP) based wireless data transmissions are simultaneously provided between a wireless device and a server, including providing multiple antennas, multiple T/R units, multiple processors and multiple I/O ports on the wireless device. The method includes receiving multiple IP data packets on the I/O ports at substantially the same time, and sending multiple data packets from the wireless device to the server, whereby the transmission rate between the wireless device and the server is increased.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/472,772, filed on Oct. 29, 2014, entitled “InterfacingInternet Protocol-Based Wireless Devices with Network Box and Cradle”,which is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/912,607,filed Oct. 26, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,824,434, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/940,428, filed Sep.13, 2004, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,848,300, which is a continuation of patentapplication Ser. No. 09/617,608, filed on Jul. 17, 2000 now U.S. Pat.No. 7,286,502, which is a continuation-in-part of patent applicationSer. No. 09/281,739, filed Jun. 4, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,169,789;the disclosures of all the above referenced matters are hereinincorporated by reference in the entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

ABBREVIATIONS: Cellular Telephone as CT. Mobile Device as MD.Non-Wireless Device as NWD. Internet Protocol as IP. The typicalcellular telephone/mobile device (CT/MD) today has a single antenna,which is directly connected to a single receiver. While spread spectrumtechniques often used in the CT/MD use a broad band of frequencies, atany specific point in time, only a single frequency connected to onereceiver is used. While spread spectrum techniques greatly increase thereliability and stability of the transmission, signal “fade” andcommunication disconnects are often encountered. Some communicationssystems may rely on two separate systems; one at a high frequency andpreferably using spread spectrum transmissions for clarity andreliability, and another providing a different set of frequencies, suchas lower frequencies. The secondary system is used when signal fade is aproblem in the main system. These are two separate, complementarysystems, each devoted to solving a separate, distinguishable problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide wirelessenhancements to IP based cellular telephones/mobile wireless devices(CT/MD). The same enhancements are applied to IP based and locally basednetwork switch boxes.

The typical CT/MD has one transmitter and one receiver (T/R), with oneantenna. An unfulfilled need exists for multiple T/R in a CT/MD,providing enhanced capabilities, and the multiple T/R capabilities willoften be best met with multiple antennas. The present invention ispossible due to advances in the art which allow the necessary componentsto be integrated, with the size shrunk to achieve the package,performance, and cost desired. The multiple T/R capability allows thesingle CT/MD to perform tasks in different environments—each T/R beingspecifically designed or configured for that specific purpose.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent from the following detailed description when taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

The accompanying drawings, being incorporated in and forming a part ofthis specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and,together with the description, serve to explain the principles of thepresent invention:

FIG. 1A illustrates characteristics of a cellular telephone (CT/MD) ofthe prior art as opposed to a desired CT/MD of the present invention.FIG. 1B shows the CT/MD has three transmit frequencies and three receivefrequencies.

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of the present invention for acommunication system with data being transferred from computer tocomputer.

FIG. 3 illustrates characteristics of the prior art showing a computerto computer data path with one channel.

FIG. 4 illustrates a dual antenna, dual transmit/receive (T/R) unit inthe CT/MD of the present invention in a dual band system.

FIG. 5A illustrates a dual antenna, dual T/R unit in a CT/MD interfacingwith a dual processor in the present invention in a dual band system.

FIG. 5B illustrates a wide band network switch box system that iscapable of operating in a number of network environments sequentially orsimultaneously.

FIG. 6 is an embodiment of the present invention showing a wiredinterface system for wireless or non-wireless devices and including awireless cradle adapter.

FIG. 7 is an embodiment of the present invention showing a CT/MD withmultiple T/R units and multiple antennas in a communication systemconnecting to a Server C through a wireless connection.

FIG. 8 is an embodiment of the present invention illustrating theconnection of multiple wireless signals to an optical network forconnection to a wide area network (WAN) or local area network (LAN) orto the Internet.

FIG. 9 is an embodiment of the present invention showing a multipleprocessing system.

FIG. 10 is an embodiment of the present invention showing a data systemwith three data streams.

FIG. 11 is an embodiment of the present invention showing a data systemwith three data streams.

FIG. 12 is an embodiment of the present invention showing a VirtualPrivate Network (VPN).

FIG. 13 is an embodiment of the present invention showing how VirtualPrivate Network or Networks (VPN) system may be provided.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference will now be made in detail to preferred embodiments of theinvention, with examples illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Theinvention is described in conjunction with the preferred embodiments,however, it will be understood that the preferred embodiments are notintended to limit the invention. The invention is intended to coveralternatives, modifications and equivalents included, now or later,within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by theappended claims.

In the present invention, one or more antennas and T/R units in a CT/MDwill provide better tuning and greater bandwidth for a givenfrequency/application. For example, consider an embodiment of a cellphone, CB radio, and wireless phone, all in a single CT/MD for improvingthe data rates of a wireless device/network:

It is seen that the data rate of the CT/MD is increased. Currently theCT/MD data rates are very low and pose a severe limitation for highspeed wireless data networking. 14.4 KBPS (kilobits per second) isprobably the best reliable speed for a wireless network that iscommercially available. The speed at which RF waves are transmitted frompoint A to point B is a physical property based on the frequency oftransmission and reception in a given medium such as air. The signalspeed is determined by the frequency and the signal strength isdetermined by the power, line of sight, interference, etc. In a givenassigned frequency band, the data speed is fixed but the power may bevaried. The rate at which data may be transmitted over a wirelessnetwork is also determined by the ability to encode and decode thesignal at the T/R ends using the electronics and computing powerresident at each end.

Data transferred to a CT/MD over a wireless network comes in encodedform and must be decoded at the CT/MD after the data is received, suchas by a receiver. The ability to encode and decode the data is afunction of the number of encoders/decoders available and assigned tothe task at the CT/MD or at a network switch box. It will be appreciatedthat while a CT/MD and a network switch box are very similar in manyways, they are completely different functional units, with the CT/MDproviding personal services and the network switch box providing systemservices. The ability to encode and decode the data is also a functionof the speed at which the encoder/decoder electronics operate at the T/Rends. Of course, each encoder/decoder must be associated withappropriate electronics to effect this task when more than oneencoder/decoder is used.

FIG. 1A illustrates characteristics of a cellular telephone/mobiledevice (CT/MD) 100 of the prior art as opposed to a desired CT/MD of thepresent invention having multiple transmit/receive (T/R) units andmultiple antennas. In FIG. 1A, Cellphone 102, CB Radio 104, and Wireless106 of the prior art all have a single transmit frequency and a singlereceive 15 frequency. In contrast, the CT/MD 108 of FIG. 1B of thisembodiment of the present invention has three transmit frequencies andthree receive frequencies.

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of the present invention for acommunication system 200 with data being transferred from computer 202to computer 204. In FIG. 2, computer 202 communicates through a systemof T/R units 206, located within or in proximity to computer system 202,with computer system 204 through T/R unit 208. T/R 208 may be locatedwithin computer system 204 or in close proximity to computer system 204to route the data to computer 204 or alternatively to a network server204, as required. The rate at which data from system 202 to system 204is transferred is gated by the speed of the transmit and receive unitsis improved by the parallel paths provided by the present invention. Thesignal is sampled and may be multiplexed at each end, at a rate thatassures accuracy.

FIG. 3 is an embodiment of the prior art showing a computer to computerdata path with a single channel 300. In FIG. 3, using a single antennaand a single T/R unit the signal is processed through the internalelectronics module 308 of the CT/MD 302, said module 308, which is shownseparate from CT/MD 302 for illustrative purposes only but is normallyincluded within CT/MD 302. Module 308 contains RF/IF 304 and A/D, D/Aconverter 306, as well as processor 310, memory 312, control electronics314, and other electronics such as display electronics 316 and specialinterface circuitry 318, such as for driving the output 320. It shouldbe clear that output 320 can also be an input/output for the CT/MD 302.This is also true for a network switch box such as network switch box552 with the functionality of CT/MD 302. The module 308 and elements 310through 318 are included within CT/MD 302 or network switch box 552. Allof these components or systems are normally contained within CT/MD 302.Since there is only one path, however, it is clear that this system doesnot form an efficient, convenient interface. The transmission data rateis limited by antenna 322 of CT/MD 302, which has only one antenna 322.

The antenna 322 is capable of receiving only a limited frequency banddue to its design limitations, which are common to single antennas usedfor this purpose.

Adding additional antennas gives the CT/MD (by extension the same istrue for the network switch box) enhanced capabilities to differentiatebetween various signals or to combine multiple paths into a singlecommunication channel. As an example, the design considerations forreceiving cellular telephone frequencies may be totally different fromthose for streaming video or data signals, and with the presentinvention both can be combined into the CT/MD.

FIG. 4 illustrates a dual antenna, dual T/R unit in the CT/MD of thepresent invention in a dual band system 400. In FIG. 4, this scheme withCT/MD 402 transmitting on the dual T/R unit 404 allows the internalprocessor 406 to independently process the two incoming signal streamsseparately and optimally, causing the appropriate output to be deliveredon the desired output port. In FIG. 4 the processor 406 is shown as asingle processor, however, the processor 406 is not limited to only oneprocessor and may contain multiple processors. Alternately, the singleprocessor may have multiple channels for parallel processing of eachdata stream to process accurately two distinct signals 408 that weremore optimally received by two dedicated antennas and two separate T/Runits contained within the CT/MD to improve performance and quality ofoutput. An example is a CT/MD 402 which is optimized for video andvoice.

Having more than one T/R unit gives a performance edge as each signalcan be better processed and tuned to the specific frequency band of thesignal. Thus better quality of output can be achieved for each type ofsignal and application. As an example, by having each of the datastreams sampled at differing clock frequencies the performance can bebetter optimized.

FIG. 5A illustrates a dual antenna, dual T/R unit 504 in a CT/MD 502interfacing with a dual processor 506 in the present invention in a dualband system 500. In FIG. 5A, in addition to multiple antennas 508 andmultiple T/R units 504 the figure also shows multiple processors 506 ina process unit functional block in a CT/MD. The system may communicatethrough an output or outputs 510. For example, these outputs may befibre optic channel, ethernet, cable, telephone, or other. By extensionthe feature of multiple antennas, multiple T/R units and multipleprocessors is extendable to the network switch box or network switchboxes that form a local, wide area, Virtual private network or connectto the Internet.

Server C controls the communication protocols in conjunction with thenetwork switching box or other devices, such as CT/MD 502. The multipleprocessors 506 allow for parallel and custom processing of each signalor data stream to achieve higher speed and better quality of output.This can also be done with a single processor that has the parallelismand pipeline capability built in for handling one or more data streamssimultaneously. Processor 506 is the complete electronics inclusive ofDSP, CPU, memory controller, and other elements essential to processvarious types of signals. These can be defined as, for example, eithersingle chip or multichip solutions. The processor contained within theCT/MD 502 is further capable of delivering the required outputs to anumber of different ports such as optical, USB, cable and others such as1202 to 1210. The CT/MD 502 is also capable of taking different inputs,as well as wireless, for the appropriate processing to be done on thesesignals within the CT/MD 502 and outputting the desired signal on adesignated port or ports. Thus the CT/MD 502 has universal connectivityin addition to having a wide range of functionality made possiblethrough the features of multiple antennas, multiple T/R units 504 andprocessors 506 in this invention. These features may also exist in anetwork switch box, such as network switch box 552.

FIG. 5B illustrates a wide band network switch box system 550 that iscapable of operating in a number of network environments sequentially orsimultaneously. The network switch box is configured with multipleprocessors, multiple antennas and multiple T/R units that can bemultiplexed to process incoming and outgoing wireless signals. Inaddition to wireless signals there is a need to process other types ofinput/output signals such as optical, cable, USB etc. to fully interfacewith other types of devices and networks. The network switch box isnormally a fixed part of a network, whereas the CT/MD is portable.However, the network switch box may be portable and may be used in thewireless mode only in a wireless network or it may also be connected toone or more networks by wired and wireless means to fully leverage allthe input/output ports.

In FIG. 5B, network switch box 552 that is limited in quality because ofthe limitations of wireless may fully leverage the networks, includingfibre optic networks, such as by multiple antennas 554 and multiple I/Oports 556. As an example, the ability to view streaming video on anetwork switch box 552 may be limited by the wireless signal quality dueto the need for compression. This is due to transmissions that areinherently impaired in air as opposed to fibre optic cable. A prior artnetwork switch box while in the mobile mode may receive video of poorerquality. The network switch box 552, when at home or in the office,could be easily connected to the optical network directly or through I/Oports 556, such as by a cradle adapter. In this mode the best data,video or audio quality can be received using the same unit. Thisprovides the network switch box 552 single unit to have universalapplications since it can sequentially or simultaneously communicateoptimally with other systems and networks to deliver quality/performanceand speed tailored for each application.

The network switch box 552 as disclosed above executes substantially thesame function as the CT/MD 502. However, the network switch box 552operates at a network system level capable of coordinating theoperations of a number of mobile and other devices in one or morenetworks, while the CT/MD 502 performs at a personal level.

FIG. 6 is an embodiment of the present invention showing a wiredinterface system 600 for wireless or non-wireless devices. In FIG. 6, awireless device, CT/MD 602 with I/O ports 610 and CT/MD 612 with theability to interface through a cradle adapter 604 having both wirelessand wired connections 606 interfacing with multiple input/output (I/O)ports 608 is shown. One, all, or some of the connections may be usedsimultaneously or sequentially for combining multiple data paths into asingle path. Whether to combine all the paths into a single data channelor use separate data channels for simultaneous operations will be basedon the needs of the application. Examples of inputs/outputs are, forexample, standard telephone, coaxial cable, Ethernet, twisted pair,wireless, optical, and USB. In addition to the multiple I/O ports 610shown on the CT/MD 602 and the ports 608 shown for connecting the CT/MD612 to cradle adapter 604, the present invention anticipates a universalport and a universal connector. By having the signal path selection doneby user defined menu driven software and multiplexing the signals onto auniversal input/output port as opposed to the multiple ports 608, 610 orwired connections 606, the desired signals are delivered to theuniversal port.

Note that the cradle adapter 604 connection also allows I/O contacts 608between a non-wireless device (NWD) 613 and a wireless cradle adapter604 or similar wireless enabling attachment. The enabling attachment canmake any non-wireless device (NWD) unit 613 wireless enabled while beingplugged into the cradle adapter 604, as shown for CT/MD 612, to access anumber of wired, optical or wireless communication paths through theports 608. The cradle adapter itself may have multiple antennas,multiple T/R units and multiple processors built-in to deliver fullfunctionality. The cradle adapter 604 may also accommodate multiplewired or wireless devices to be plugged in at the same time. The cradleadapter may also contain power ports for the individual devices inaddition to the I/O ports. The cradle adapter 604 may be a passive passthrough connection enabling device or may have internal electronicsmarts to perform certain server functions to control data traffic.Alternately, a Server C located on a LAN, WAN or the Internet can be thecontrol vehicle.

FIG. 7 is an embodiment of the present invention showing a CT/MD 702having multiple T/R units internally and with multiple antennas 710 in acommunication system 700 connecting to a Server C 706 through a wirelessconnection 704. Server C 706 then communicates with a network such asthe Internet or other path to data such as a local WAN/LAN line, etc.,through connection 708. The multiple T/R units and antennas 710 allowmultiple simultaneous communication paths over connection 704 betweenthe CT/MD and the Server C such that the communication rate isincreased.

FIG. 8 is an embodiment of the present invention illustrating theconnection of multiple wireless signals to an optical network forconnection to a wide area network (WAN) or local area network (LAN) orto the Internet. In FIG. 8, a CT/MD 802 communicates through internalelectronic interfaces, such as an RF/IF module 804 and an AD/DA unit 806in a T/R block 808 with a processor 810. Processor 810 then provides anelectrical signal generated by the T/R block 808 and processed byprocessor 810 to an optical converter (OC) 812. OC 812 then delivers theoptical signal to fibre optic cable 814 for delivery to, for example, anetwork such as a WAN/LAN or the Internet.

This avoids delay in processing the signal and improvesquality/performance. Similar conversions can be done by the processorfor other input/output protocols or systems such as universal serial bus(USB) or Ethernet either locally or in conjunction with a server such asServer C 706 to receive/deliver input output signals as needed. Byextension, the same features are possible for the network switch boxsuch as network switch box 552.

Some unique features of the present invention, which apply to either aCT/MD such as CT/MD 802 or to a network switch box such as networkswitch box 552, are:

Multiple antennas for greater signal range and bandwidth.

Multiple T/R units so that paths or tasks can be paralleled.

Multiple internal signal processors, or one or more processors thatexecute in parallel.

Multiple built in input/outputs for universal connectivity to differentnetwork environments.

Capability to interface wired and wireless devices through a cradleadapter to achieve universal connectivity.

Parallel processing of signals and data streams at a system level usinghardware and software on a server such as Server C 706.

FIG. 9 is an embodiment of the present invention showing a multipleprocessing system 900. In FIG. 9, computer 902 and computer 908 need toexchange data streams at very fast rates. Having a single channel forT/R with a single antenna or a single processor would cause a limitationin data transfer rates, so multiple channels 912 are provided. Server C910 polls the tasks by communicating with computer 902 and computer 908,and through computer 902 and computer 908 control the wireless units 904and 906, such as CT/MDs or wireless boxes, by optimally allocatingchannels and transfers of the data. Having multiple channels 912enhances the data transfer rate compared to a single channel orcommunication path. Server C 910 oversees the allocation of data to thedifferent channels and keeps the process under control. In addition themultiple channels 912 help overcome the RF to digital electronicconversion rate problem. The rate at which the sampling and conversiontakes place is a function of, for example, the A/D and D/A 806conversion rates and limitations in the other electronics componentssuch as processor 810. Consequently having the data partitioned by theServer C 910 and assigned to multiple channels 912 enables parallelprocessing of the communications, and having parallel processing ofwireless data streams where the data streams coexist, as in the presentinvention, increases the data transfer rate.

FIG. 10 is an embodiment of the present invention showing a data system1000 with three data streams DS1 1002, DS2 1004 and DS3 1006. In FIG.10, three wireless T/R units 1008, 1010, and 1012 are shown. The threedata streams 1002, 1004, and 1006 are processed by the three T/R units1008, 1010 and 1012, converted by converters 1014, 1016, and 1018, andpresented to processors 1020, 1022, and 1024 under the control ofcontroller 1026. The data streams may be interfaced separately withserver C 1030 or combined into data stream 1028 and interfaced to ServerC 1030. The processor or CPU speed is seldom a limiting factor, so theimprovement in speed by providing multiple data paths is fully realizedby the present invention. Each subtask being processed can be assignedto a separate channel. The rate at which the data is acquired, processedand converted is dependent on the type of electronic components.Therefore, component limitations can be overcome in a straightforwardand convenient way by parallel processing. In such cases, the processorspeed is seldom a limitation, and conversion speed of RF to electricaland electrical to RF, becomes the primary bottleneck in data transfersfor wireless systems. By providing, for example, a single chip,multichip, or hybrid converter for parallel conversions in accordancewith the present invention under the supervision of the Server C 910,this bottleneck is avoided. Each channel may be sampled and clockedindividually as necessary to optimally process each data stream andcombine the individual data packets.

FIG. 11 is an embodiment of the present invention showing a data system1100 with three data streams DS1 1102, DS2 1104 and DS3 1106. In FIG.11, three fibre optic channel units 1108, 1110, and 1112 are shown. Thethree data streams 1102, 1104, and 1106 are processed by the three fibreoptic channel units 1108, 1110 and 1112, converted by converters 1114,1116, and 1118, and presented to processors 1120, 1122, and 1124 underthe control of controller 1126. The data streams are combined into datastream 1128 and interfaced to Server C 1130. The processor or CPU speedis seldom a limiting factor, and can be overcome by providing multipleprocessors as shown, including for Server C 1130, so the improvement inspeed is fully realized by the present invention. Each subtask beingprocessed can be assigned to a separate optical fibre optic channel. Therate at which the data is acquired, processed and converted is limitedby the components used for conversion of optical to electrical andelectrical to optical signals. Therefore, component limitations can beovercome in a straightforward and convenient way by parallel processing.This can be especially important with fibre optic transmissions, wherefibre optic to electrical and electrical to fibre optic conversions cancreate significant communications limitations. In such cases, theprocessor speed is seldom a limitation or can be overcome with parallelprocessors, and conversion speed becomes the primary bottleneck in datatransfers for optical systems. As discussed before, by providing, forexample, a single chip, multichip, or hybrid converter for parallelconversions in accordance with the present invention under thesupervision of a Server C, such as Server C 1130, the fibre opticchannel conversion bottleneck is avoided.

FIG. 12 is an embodiment of the present invention showing a VirtualPrivate Network (VPN) communication path 1200. In FIG. 12, multiplecommunications channels such as USB 1202, telephone 1204, cable 1206,fibre optic channel 1208, and wireless 1210 are all employed tocommunicate data relating to tasks and subtasks from data path 1212,such as from Server C 1130, to data path 1214. Data path 1214 may beconnected to, for example, another Server C 1030 or similarly. Theresult is that multiple communication environments are enabled by thedata paths 1200, the environments having, for example, devices such asmultiple CT/MDs, network switch boxes, and combinations for forming aVPN, such as VPN 1302. This is true even where the individual unitsbelong to another VPN. The VPN, such as VPN 1302, or several VPNs, suchas VPNs 1300, can be under the control of a single or multiple Server C,such as Server C 1130, machines. Each device in a VPN such as VPN 1300may operate wireless or wired devices such as the devices in VPN 1302connected to other wired or wireless networks, including fibre opticchannel networks. The devices in a VPN, such as VPN 1302 of the presentinvention can be multiplexed or multitasked by a Server C, such asServer C 1130. This allows many such devices to be under the supervisionand control of a Server C 1130 or multiple Server C machines such asServer C 1030, 1130.

FIG. 13 is an embodiment of the present invention showing how VirtualPrivate Network or Networks (VPN) system 1300 may be provided. In FIG.13, VPN 1302, 1306, and 1310 are connected through a wide area network(WAN) or local area network (LAN) to wireless network 1304, opticalnetwork, such as a fibre optic channel 1308, and cable network 1312.Other networks could be used as well, the embodiment is not intended torestrict the present invention. All the VPNs such as VPN 1302 andoptionally the connections may be under the supervision of a Server C1314 or many servers. VPN 1302 is shown with a network switch box 1316,server 1318, and a CT/MD 1320, which allows multipath communicationthrough the network switch box 1316 to server 1318. This allowscommunication from/to the network switch box or from/to an outsidesource, such as a CT/MD service provider, to CT/MD 1320. The CT/MD 1320can communicate simultaneously with the network switch box 1316 and anoutside source as well.

VPN 1306 shows network switch box 1322 communicating with a server 1324and optionally with CT/MD 1326. As shown, the VPN 1302 and the VPN 1306operate in parallel, and may both be under the supervision and controlof server 1314, which acts as a sort of executive level supervisor.

VPN 1310 shows network switch box 1328 and server 1330, with both CT/MD1332 and CT/MD 1334 in the VPN 1310. Network box 1328 may communicatewith either or both CT/MD 1332 and 1334, and CT/MD 1332 and CT/MD 1334may intercommunicate as well. VPN 1310 may also be under the supervisionand control of server 1314. The server 1314 may also control andsupervise VPN 1302 and 1306.

The present invention includes the following features:

(1) A cellular telephone/mobile device (CT/MD) with two or more antennasas opposed to the current state of the art in a single antenna system.Each antenna may be specifically designed for a specific frequency orapplication or may be multiplexed for different uses.

(2) A CT/MD with two or more transmit/receive (T/R) units as opposed tothe prior art single T/R unit. Each T/R unit in the CT/MD may bedesigned for a specific frequency or application or may be multiplexedfor different uses.

(3) A CT/MD with two or more processor units (or a single processor unitwith built in parallelism to execute same, different and or customapplications) as opposed to the prior art of a single processor unit.Each processor unit in the CT/MD may be designed for a specificapplication or may be multiplexed for different uses. As an example oneprocessor may be specifically designed to handle voice, another fordata, another for high quality audio and yet another for streamingvideo.

(4) A CT/MD that has multiple input/output ports as opposed to a singleinput/output (I/O) port as in the prior art. The CT/MD may have auniversal serial bus (USB) port, a coaxial cable port, a standardtelephone (POTS) port, a twisted pair port, Ethernet port, and mostimportantly an optical port. The CT/MD thus can fully interface andinteract with different environments sequentially or simultaneously. Thefeature is more than one port being available with variations in thenumber of ports (I/O) from one to N.

(5) A network switch box with two or more antennas as opposed to theprior art of a single antenna system. Each antenna may be specificallydesigned for an assigned frequency or application or may be multiplexedfor different uses.

(6) A network switch box with two or more T/R units within it as opposedto the prior art of a single T/R unit. Each T/R unit may be designed foran assigned frequency or application or may be multiplexed for differentuses.

(7) A network switch box with two or more processor units (or a singleprocessor unit with built in parallelism to execute same, different andor custom applications) as opposed to the prior art of a singleprocessor unit. Each processor unit in the network box may be designedfor a specific application or may be multiplexed for different uses. Asan example one processor may be specifically designed to handle voice,another for data, another for high quality audio and yet another forstreaming video.

(8) A network switch box has multiple input/output ports as opposed to asingle input/output (I/O) port as in the prior art. The network switchbox may have a universal serial bus (USB) port, a coaxial cable port, astandard telephone (POTS) port, a twisted pair port, Ethernet port, andmost importantly an optical port. The network switch box thus can fullyinterface and interact with different environments sequentially orsimultaneously. The feature is more than one port being available withvariations in the number of ports (I/O) from one to N.

(9) The ability to use the same CT/MD in different environments andapplications and the ability to quickly interface to various inputs andoutputs by a quick and easy plug in method into a receptacle or socketor by wired or wireless means such as a docking station.

(10) The ability to use the same network switch box in differentenvironments and applications and the ability to quickly interface tovarious inputs and outputs by a quick and easy plug in method into areceptacle or socket or by wired or wireless means such as a dockingstation.

(11) The CT/MD and the network switch box may be used for communication,control, command, compute, entertainment, gaming, or other applicationsthat may be defined in the future for both wireless and wired equipment.

(12) The unique feature that allows one or more antennas, one or moreT/R units, one or more processors and one or more input/outputs tocoexist in totality or as subsets of any combination of the above in onesingle CT/MD or a network switch box.

(13) The feature described in item 10 above and this invention allowsparallel processing of the signals and data streams through theantennas, through the T/R units, through the multiple processors andthrough the I/O. This allows the present invention to achieve fasterdata rates with flexible connections for making multiple applicationssequentially or simultaneously available using the same CT/MD or networkswitch box. As an example, video, audio and other uses can be accessedsimultaneously with performance optimized for each through dedicated ormultiplexed antenna paths, T/R paths, through multiple processors andI/O paths.

(14) The internal electronics of a CT/MD or a network switch box otherthan the antenna, T/R and I/O may be shared or separate. For example,the processor, memory, etc. may be common or may be separate as definedby the application, cost, and site, etc.

(15) The ability to have an internal IP based web server function withinthe CT/MD and the network switch box or an external server C connectedby wired or wireless means to keep track of all the communicationprotocols within the unit and with the outside world and other units.

(16) The electronics that converts wireless to optical signals directly,to efficiently interface wireless and optical signals and systemswithout intermediate transport.

(17) The ability to process in parallel signals derived from opticalsignals such as at a much higher frequency.

(18) The attachment that makes a non-wireless device fully wireless (seeFIG. 6).

(19) The ability to form many concentric/overlaying networks and havethe CT/MD exist in one or more wired or wireless networkssimultaneously. Thus one single CT/MD can, at the same time, be part ofone or more wired or wireless VPN (virtual private networks) or of apublic network. Thus a mixed network, a mixed VPN, is dynamically madepossible under the supervision of server C. In this mixed VPN one ormore network boxes from different networks, different CT/MDs and basestations coexist in a new virtual network. All of these VPNs, mixed VPNsand public networks being accessible by the CT/MD through thesupervision of the central server C located on a LAN, WAN, or theInternet.

(20) The ability for a CT/MD to communicate with one or more CT/MDs andother wired or wireless devices in one or more VPNs and public networksdirectly allowing for paging and data transmission and communicationbetween one or more CT/MDs. This is accomplished with all the VPNs beingunder the control of Server C located on a LAN, WAN or the Internet.

(21) The network box may also operate as a wireless base station, withthe characteristics enumerated for the network box, such as multipleantennas, multiple T/R units, multiple processors and multiple I/Oports. The base station may receive inputs from one type of network andtransmit to another type of network seamlessly. For example, an opticalnetwork input may be transmitted as a wireless RF output over thewireless network. In reverse the wireless input to base station may beseamlessly converted into optical output for transmission over anoptical network.

(22) In either the base station configuration or the network boxconfiguration, the units have the ability to take optical data andmultiplex the data for wireless transmission over one or more channels,at one or more frequencies and power levels. The base station, thenetwork box or the CT/MD may use one or more transmission protocols asdeemed optimal and appropriate by the local server C or the super serverC located in a LAN, WAN or the Internet. Thus the base station unit, thenetwork box and the CT/MD determines the required frequency spectrum,other wireless parameters such as power and signal to noise ratio tooptimally transmit the data. In addition the units have the ability tomultiplex between one or more transmission protocols such as CDMA, TDMAto ensure that the fast data rates of the optical network or matchedclosely in a wireless network to minimize the potential datatransmission speed degradation of a wireless network. As an example, thedata path between two optical networks may involve a wireless hop due tophysical constraints. In such a case the wireless hop transmission speedis likely to be a bottleneck. The base station or the network box,configured as described in the present invention at the hardware leveloffers universal functionality. In addition the software capability thatis resident internally to the unit, at the local server C level ornetwork server C level, is capable of dynamically determining a numberof factors for best data transfer. As an example, the unit can determinethe best transmission frequencies and protocols, determine the besterror correction and channel coding algorithms and multiplexes thetransmission paths and tasks. Thus it is possible that various opticaland wireless protocols can co-exist in a network.

(23) The network box or network boxes may also be used to configure apredominantly optical network that has wireless capability as an adjunctor a predominantly wireless network that has optical capability as anadjunct. Other combinations are possible by extension with or withoutmultiplexing. The optical to wireless multiplexer, can be part of awireless ethernet or optical ethernet. Similarly other types ofconversion and transmission multiplexers could be defined to beincorporated into the CT/MD, the network box or the base station tooptimally and seamlessly transfer data between networks or within anetwork.

The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the presentinvention have been presented for purposes of illustration anddescription. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit theinvention to the precise forms disclosed, and it should be understoodthat many modifications and variations are possible in light of theabove teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order tobest explain the principles of the present invention and its practicalapplication, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilizethe present invention and various embodiments, with variousmodifications, as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It isintended that the scope of the invention be defined by the Claimsappended hereto and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A communication system, comprising: a network boxconfigured with a plurality of radios and a plurality of ports toconnect to one or more Ethernet and/or optical networks, the network boxconfigured to transmit and receive data, and wherein the network box isenabled to operate on a plurality of networks such that it transmitsand/or receives data from the optical or Ethernet network and transmitssaid data over a wireless network, wherein the network box multiplexescommunication over at least one or more channels, at one or morefrequencies, and at one or more power levels, wherein a server isenabled to supervise an overlay network such that the network box isconnected to a first network and the overlay network, wherein thenetwork box uses one or more transmission protocols or network paths asdeemed optimal or appropriate by the server, and wherein the servercontrols the network path of communication between the network box andone or more additional network boxes to dynamically control the networkpath of communication between a portable electronic device and a remoteserver.
 2. The communication system of claim 1, wherein thecommunication system uses one or more virtual networks or overlaynetworks to enable efficient selection of multiple paths ofcommunication between a plurality of communication devices and remoteservers via a plurality of network boxes.
 3. The communication system ofclaim 1, further comprising a first radio and a second radiocommunicatively coupled with a network switch box.
 4. The communicationsystem of claim 3, wherein the first radio is configured forcommunicative coupling with a wireless network or Ethernet network, andthe second radio is configured for communicative coupling with a TV. 5.The communication system of claim 4, wherein the second radio isconfigured for communicative coupling with a TV via an optical network.6. The communication system of claim 5, wherein the second radio isconfigured for communicative coupling with a TV via mobile device and alocal communication radio.
 7. The communication system of claim 6,wherein the network switch box is configured to download or stream videocontent and display the video content on the TV or on a mobile device.8. The communication system of claim 7, wherein a mobile device isconfigured to contain downloaded video content and stream the videocontent to the network switch box, wherein the first radio is configuredfor one or more of wireless local networks inclusive of wi-fi anddownloading the content from the mobile device, and wherein the secondradio is configured for optical communication and allowing the videocontent to be sent directly to the TV.
 9. The communication system ofclaim 5, wherein an IP-based server is integrated into the networkswitch box.